On Tuesday, June 7, “some” Daily Kos users were treated to a new version of the Front Page. No one who isn’t Staff is certain just how many “some” is, and they’re not saying, so don’t ask. Eventually, it will be everybody, but no one has published a schedule.
At the same time, this diary was published:
by Jason Libsch
Daily Kos Staff
It extols the wonders of changing up everything on the Front Page to be able to reach a larger audience for Daily Kos. You should read it. Literally, because it’s all you’re going to get for the time being.
Unfortunately, after two days it dropped off the Reclist, and doesn’t seem to have been on the main Front Page listing, so I’ve been doing linking diaries ever since it vanished. This is the third one, and since I’ve gotten bored of cutting and pasting, I thought I’d add my own thoughts, as neutrally as possible. Links to the first two are at the bottom.
how do you tell which page you’re on?
If you have to ask, you’re probably on the old page. The Civiqs bar is no longer at the top on either page. The line of tags at the very top is still there, but harder to read until you mouse over it, because it presents in grey on black. The differences, below the tag line, from left to right, are
- the small envelope icon that was “Join the mailing list” is no longer there
- The question mark icon for the Help Desk has been replaced by a black link that says “HELP DESK”
- The Blog It!/pencil icons have been replaced by a red box with white type that says “WRITE A STORY”
- The Replies and Messages icons are unchanged, but moved to the right slightly
- Where your username and square avatar with a dropdown arrow were, there is a round avatar icon; click on it to get to the dropdown menu, which is about twice as large as the old one, because the type is larger, heavier, and more readable. You will probably have to scroll to see all of it.
- The three dropdown menus and the Search link are gone. In their place is a full width Search line that takes you back to the same Search function we are all used to, which is less than intuitively obvious for a new user, but it’s supposedly due to be updated real soon now.
Changing back to the old Front Page/between pages
The dropdown menu by your avatar contains a page switching link: Switch to new/old frontpage design. If you’re on the new page, and it says Switch to new frontpage design, click it once. While the page won’t change, the message will. The second time you click it, you will be on the old page, and from then on it will work properly.
That link has been there, on and off, for the last couple of months, and will evidently continue to be there for some time while Staff tweaks the Front Page. You may want to think of this period as a semi-mandatory extended Beta test for the new product. At some point they will be done tweaking, and the link will either vanish or become a permanent part of the potential experience. (I’m kidding — I think)
In any case, while that link is up, Staff will be more or less open for input on the changes. If you want a positive experience making suggestions, please try to state your case as succinctly as possible, outlining the potential benefits for the particular change, and refraining from saying how much you despise the new design. I suggest waiting a day or two between writing it and submitting it, to allow for rewriting, especially if your reaction is emotionally negative.
Getting used to the new format
I confess, my reaction to the new design boils down to cognitive overload. The changes are large, and comprehensive; the information I’m used to getting when I first look at a headline is mostly missing, including the number of comments and recs, and being able to read the first few lines without clicking through.
It’s so very much set up for images that an item without an image attached presents an unbalanced look. It’s a little disconcerting, and I haven’t gotten used to it yet.
The technique I’m currently using is to go to the new page every few hours, dip my toes into it, as it were, and hightail it back to the old text-only pages while I try to assimilate the new information. I’m assuming that I’ll be able to handle it for longer periods as I get used to it, and I’m trying not to come to any strong conclusions until that’s finished.
If you have an alternate method for this process, I’d like to hear about it.
For Previous link diaries, see here: #1 and here: #2
I may think of other things that ought to go here, but for now, that’s all I’ve got. Hope this helps your initial meeting with the new design.
Update: dammit, please Rec the diary! a click on the star, and maybe I won’t have to rewrite this again to keep it up.
Or drop a link in your favorite Open Thread — that works, too.